Computer memory discs or "hard discs", as they are often referred to in the computer industry, are being produced in increasingly larger numbers as the need for industrial and personal computers grows. Hard discs essentially comprise a base disc composed of aluminum onto which magnetic material is sputtered. Discs of this type are widely used as storage devices in work stations, in desk top and lap top computers, and in industrial computers commonly used for system control.
The continuing trend toward storing information on hard discs has increased the desire to automate disc manufacture. Currently, automated machinery exists for washing discs and for sputtering discs, as well as for several other disc fabrication processes. However, transferring hard discs between a disc washing machine and a disc sputtering machine involves intervention by an attendant.
Typically, after a disc is washed in an automated disc washing machine, the disc is manually deposited in a disc holding cassette or caddie. Once the cassette is full, an attendant carries the cassette to a sputtering machine station. The attendant then uses a special hand tool to transfer each clean disc from the cassette to a disc shuttle attached to a track running through the sputtering machine. Specifically, the attendant grips the center hole of the disc with the hand tool and physically moves the disc into position for receipt by the shuttle. The loaded shuttles are then trained through the sputtering machine where layers of magnetic material are sputtered onto the aluminum base discs.
Although the above-described method of manually transferring discs from a disc washing machine to a disc sputtering machine has proven effective in the past, this prior art method is laborious and time consuming. Moreover, manual transfer of discs is operator sensitive in that operators may drop or contaminate the discs. In addition, if operators slightly cant discs in the shuttle, these misaligned discs may undergo uneven sputtering. More significantly, misaligned discs may become dislodged from the shuttle while in the sputtering machine, possibly jamming the machine and halting manufacture.
The difficulties suggested in the preceding are not intended to be exhaustive but rather are among many which may tend to reduce the expediency and ease of prior methods of manually transferring hard discs between automated machinery. Other noteworthy problems may also exist; however, those presented above should be sufficient to demonstrate that methods of disc loading and unloading appearing in the past will admit to worthwhile improvement.
Accordingly, it is a general object of the present invention to provide a disc loading and unloading assembly which will obviate or minimize difficulties of the type previously described.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a disc loading and unloading assembly which will increase the efficiency and expediency of hard disc manufacturing.
It is a further object of the present invention to provide a disc loading and unloading assembly which will reduce operator intervention, thereby minimizing broken or defective discs due to operator error.